Contents

Aims

The OAU had two primary aims:

To promote the unity and solidarity of the African states and act as a collective voice for
the African continent. This was important to secure Africa's
long-term economic and political future. Years of colonialism had
weakened it socially, politically and economically.

The OAU was also dedicated to the eradication of all forms of
colonialism, as,
when it was established, there were several states that had not yet
won their independence or were minority-ruled. South Africa and Angola were two such countries.
The OAU proposed two ways of ridding the continent of colonialism.
Firstly, it would defend the interests of independent countries and
help to pursue those of still-colonised ones. Secondly, it would
remain neutral in terms of world affairs, preventing its members
from being controlled once more by outside powers.

A Liberation Committee was established to aid independence
movements and look after the interests of already-liberated states.
The OAU also aimed to stay neutral in terms of global politics,
which would prevent them from being controlled once more by outside
forces – an especial danger with the Cold War.

Settle arguments and disputes between members – not through
fighting but rather peaceful and diplomatic negotiation.

Soon after achieving independence, a number of African states
expressed a growing desire for more unity within the continent. Not
everyone was agreed on how this unity could be achieved, however,
and two opinionated groups emerged in this respect:

The Monrovian bloc, led by Senghor of Senegal, felt that unity should be achieved
gradually, through economic cooperation. It did not support the
notion of a political federation. Its other members were Nigeria, Liberia, Ethiopia and most of the former French
colonies.

The dispute was eventually resolved when Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I
invited the two groups to Addis Ababa, where the OAU and its
headquarters were subsequently established. The Charter of the
Organisation was signed by 32 independent African states.

The organisation was widely derided as a bureaucratic "talking
shop" with little power. It struggled to enforce its decisions, and
its lack of armed force made intervention exceedingly difficult. Civil wars in Nigeria and
Angola continued unabated for years, and the OAU could do nothing
to stop them.

The policy of non-interference in the affairs of member states
also limited the effectiveness of the OAU. Thus, when human rights were
violated, as in Uganda under
Idi Amin in the 1970s, the
OAU was powerless to stop them.

The Organisation was praised by Ghanaian former United
Nations Secretary-GeneralKofi Annan for bringing Africans together.
Nevertheless, in its 39 years of existence, critics argue that the
OAU did little to protect the rights and liberties of African
citizens from their own political leaders, often dubbing it as a
"Dictators' Club"[1] or "Dictator's
Trade Union"[2].

The OAU was, however, successful in some respects. Many of its
members were members of the UN, too, and they stood together within
the latter organisation to safeguard African interests – especially
in respect of lingering colonialism. Its pursuit of African unity,
therefore, was in some ways successful.

Total unity was difficult to achieve, however, as the OAU was
largely divided. The former French colonies, still dependent on France, had formed the Monrovia
Group, and there was a further split between those which supported
the USA and
those which supported the USSR in the Cold War of ideologies. The pro-Socialist faction was led by Kwame Nkrumah,
while Félix Houphouët-Boigny of the Ivory
Coast led the pro-capitalists. Because of these divisions, it
was difficult for the OAU to take action against states involved in
internal conflicts because it could rarely reach an agreement on
what was to be done.

The OAU did, however, play a pivotal role in eradicating colonialism and
minority rule in Africa. It
gave weapons, training and military bases to colonised nations
fighting for independence or majority rule. Groups such as the ANC
and PAC, fighting apartheid, and ZANU and ZAPU, fighting for the independence of Southern
Rhodesia, were aided in their endeavours by the OAU. African
harbours were closed to the South African government, and South
African aircraft were prohibited from flying over the rest of the
continent. The UN was convinced by the OAU to expel South Africa
from bodies such as the World Health
Organisation.

The OAU also worked with the UN to ease refugee problems. It set
up the African Development Bank for
economic projects intended to make Africa financially stronger.
Although all African countries eventually won their independence, it
remained difficult for them to become totally independent of their
former colonisers. There was often continued reliance on the former
colonial powers for economic aid, which often came with strings
attached: loans had to be paid back at high interest-rates, and
goods had to be sold to the aiders at low rates.

The USA and USSR intervened in post-colonial Africa in pursuit
of their own objectives. Help was sometimes provided in the form of
technology and
aid-workers. While useful, such external assistance was often
perceived as not necessarily in the best interests of the former
colonies.

Autonomous specialised agencies, working under the auspices of
the OAU, were: